I'm really going to miss the good Rabbi. He was a regular at the store, and for the last several years running, either he or his wife were always the first to wish me "Merry Christmas." They've retired and moved out of state and this will be the first year in my 17 years at the store I won't be seeing them.
I have been irked over the past several years at the ongoing pillow fight over the political correctness of this greeting, and as a person who works in retail it's one of those things that -- thankfully -- hasn't been discussed or mandated from management. We are a small business, with a clientele that is probably 80% regular customers. We know them, and they know us. I mean KNOW. I know where most of them worship, and they know where I do, so there's very little guessing that has to be done to choose and use the appropriate greeting.
It doesn't make sense to wish Merry Christmas to someone who is celebrating Hanukkah, or not celebrating at all. It would be like saying "Happy Birthday" to someone in August when they were born in November.
But it also doesn't make sense for some businesses to mandate that no greeting be given at all, or that we fall to the generic "Happy Holidays" in every case.
If people would just pay attention (where have I heard THAT before?), very often there are clues.
If I don't know someone, but they are wearing a cross or an otherwise blatantly Christian symbol, and have asked for a book based on Luke's Gospel text, I'm gonna wish them MERRY CHRISTMAS.
It they are wearing a Star of David or have just asked that all their purchases be wrapped in our blue and silver paper with menorahs on it for their grandchildren, I'm gonna take a leap and wish them HAPPY HANUKKAH.
And if their purchases, or choice of wrap don't clear the issue, and if they aren't wearing anything but a snowman on their lapel, I'm just going to thank them sincerely for coming to the store.
It bothers me when people wish me "Happy Holidays" when I am decked out in my own religious jewelry that reflects my faith. Wishing me a Merry Christmas even if it's not a religious observance for them is a lovely way of acknowledging something about who I am -- and when I respond to obvious clues and wish them a Happy or Merry, I'm doing the same.
It's courtesy. It's lovely. Both greetings feel nice on the tongue.
It can't be easy if a person celebrates neither holiday -- and if they don't, then why wish them "Happy" ones? 'twould be more authentic to say, "Enjoy the days off you get because of what others are celebrating." But that takes too long, and people get grumpy if they have to wait too long at the checkout.
Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Thank you. That's all this retail clerk has to offer.
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9 comments:
I don't get bothered by the "Happy Holidays" greeting. What bugs me is that Portland's Downtown public square has to have a "Holiday Tree" instead of a Christmas Tree.
I do still love this 2005 comment by Ben Stein:
http://benstein.com/121805xmas.html
Well, Happy Holidays beats nothing, I suppose -- I just don't like it!
Our city last night went back to calling the parade a Christmas Parade, after changing it to a Holiday Parade a couple of years ago. It didn't seem to hurt the attendance one iota.
Christmas is such a secular thing these days -- and that's okay with me. I observe it from the perspective of my faith, but recognize that for many people, it's just a fun thing. And if they are celebrating it for fun, then what's the harm in wishing them a Merry Christmas?
Love that commentary, too!
happy... kwanzaa...?
Ya know, we bought Kwanzaa books for the store the last three years. Never sold a one of them. It just hasn't caught on here, although if we lived somewhere where it was, I'd add this to my list.
I see it as being something separate and unique -- it wasn't designed to replace Christmas or Hanukkah!
But ya know I have our Kwanzaa angel, and we put that out every year. Would you like it for your tree?
ITA, El!
K :)
Although I am a Christian, I agree that handing out candy or pencils or stickers to children that have a Christian message in a setting other than a church or church activity is in poor taste, when done by those in positions of authority.
As much as your daughter loves music and singing with a chorus, this is an issue she will deal with for the rest of her life because an overwhelming number of standards have religious text as their libretto. If it makes her uncomfortable, I hope she's given the option of sitting out. A very conservative Christian woman I know didn't like it when their school choir changed the words to "Silent Night" to take out references that were religious, and her child was given an opportunity to help with accompaniment instead. I respect your position as much as I respect hers.
Being wished Happy Holidays doesn't offend me -- that's too strong a word -- but it isn't my preference, it doesn't put a smile on my face, and I'd rather be wished a nice day if that's the only option allowed in a work environment.
I would expect that if I lived in a country with a religion that was observed by a majority of its population I would expect to be confronted by clashes between what was usual and customary for them and what was comfortable for me. The respect I would have for that majority would mirror the respect I have for the minority here, certainly as long as I were allowed to practice my own faith as minority religions are allowed to practice their own here.
And the impact would be devastating, I'm sure, but since we agree that many, many folks who don't observe the religious aspect of the season still celebrate Christmas in a secular fashion, I don't see that happening!
And some of those good people make the biggest dent at the stores. This Christian does very little in terms of pumping up the economy via retail during this season, in fact.
Charities get the lion's share of my budget.
What's wrong with "Happy Holidays" is that this one person -- Eleanor Lucas -- doesn't happen to like it personally. That should not be taken to mean that there is anything wrong with it beyond my own personal feelings about it.
I don't like that a store would tell a clerk they cannot use a less generic greeting if the circumstances are obviously apparent, but I'm not going to withdraw my support for that business based on my own personal preference about it.
I believe that most Christians are secure in their faith, as are most Muslims, most Jews. A holiday, by its very definition, marks the observance of SOMETHING, and it just happens that during December those somethings are Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa (a beautiful observance, but not one that replaces observance of the others even by those who celebrate it).
Let me ask you -- when your friends who are not Muslim warmly wished you and your family a meaningful Ramadan and a joyful Eid, I recall you were quite touched. I meant it when I said it, because it means so much to you and your family. I don't have to observe it to understand that, and acknowledge it in a way that is specific to the faith of your family.
I am touched in a similar way when those who know me -- or who can tell by my signs (my cross, for instance) wish me a Merry Christmas.
I may be thick, but I don't see what in the world is wrong with that.
As for the choral group, I hope that you and your daughter come to a place together that feels right to you both.
And again, I just personally do not like "Happy Holidays." I'm not trying to enact legislation.
It's my own personal grrr that extends only as far as my personal reaction to it goes.
My blog entry was nothing more than my own personal feelings about my own actions and reactions.
I admire your passion, understand where you're coming from, and hope that a spirit of inclusion grows that will encompass those those things that are traditional and meaningful to everyone.
Since the holiday I celebrate is an observance of Christmas, I'll take your Happy Holidays and translate it to my ears.
Peace, my friend.
(And I'm having that same problem -- having to hit send more than once to get my posts to post!)
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